Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Hiatus

It's been a while since I've felt like I hve the time to write a blog. I've been crazy busy lately, in a good way, and trying to limit my computer time. It seems like the computer is a brain-sucking hindrance to me, so I'm trying to lessen the time I spend on it and increase the time I spend with my kiddos or my crafting. I've been so busy with orders (and still am) that it's pretty easy to strike Facebook off my priority list, haha.

Greg's yard service is going well. The last week was in the 100s so it was HOT needless to say, but he was out there every day (and his dad too) working in that heat. Busy busy. Yesterday we got a much needed thunderstorm with plenty of rain, and the rest of the day was 85 degrees. Greg said it felt AWESOME. He's been mwoing like a maniac, and I'm so proud of what a hard worker he is for our family.

***Sidebar: Carly just walked in the office and showed me all the things she's holding, "Babboooon, Meeeeelk, Shish, Lulther one Tent, Beebo" Which means, "balloon, milk, fish, other one tent (there is another fish in the tent), belly button. " She is so chatty!***

I've been working on a wholesale order for a small boutique store, and hoping to get that finished by next week. Meanwhile, I did a couple of aprons for another store and they are interested in talking about doing some more. Had a home show over the weekend hosted by two very sweet friends that was a lot of fun and pretty successful. I've had more luck on this business through word-of-mouth than anything else. I have never paid a penny for advertising, and hope not to. Facebook and Sunday School are definitely the way to go!

Yesterday I finally did what I've been wanting to do for several months, and ordered a bulk shipment of designer fabrics. 14 bolts to be exact. I am going to add the by-the-yard sale of these to my business, and also be able to use them in my own creations. It was quite an investment that I'm hoping will yield the returns I've calculated. In any case, I am now in the fabric business!

Caleb's newest thing is his shoes.. he is a sensitive boy who likes everything in it's place, including wearing the same pair of shoes every day. It's really okay that he' like that, because his feet are XW and hard to fit, so he only HAS one pair of shoes, but a kid needs flipflops in the summer, right? So we were at Hobby Lobby last week and their flips were on sale 50% off ($.78! Can't beat that!) and I asked him if he'd like the get a pair of flip flops like daddy's and mommy's. He picked out the orange ones, after I convinced him that pink was not appropriate, and is very excited about his new shoes! The best part is, he will switch back and forth between the two pairs. I figured after we got him used to the flips he's toss the $50 Stride Rites aside and never wear them again.

Carly is a stinker, more and more every day. Yesterday she lunged head-first out of a kitchen chair that she had climbed into by herself. I was watching her, and there was nothing I could do. It was so crazy and unpredicatble. But I tell you this child is made of rubber! There was a little red spot across her shin from I'm not sure what, and other than that, not a mark to be seen. Just add this one to her long list of falls. So for now, the rule is NO MORE CLIMBING INTO THE KITCHEN CHAIRS! I've already had to get her down three times this morning and it's only 9:30. Stinker.

We are looking forward to the weekend here. 4th of july, my birthday, and a wedding at the lake all on one day! So exciting. Mawmaw is coming to visit too! I think I'll try to convince Greg to let the kiddos stay awake for fireworks, if we can find someplace close that's doing them.

I'll try to post pictures in the near future! RIght now I smell something stinky...

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Time for an update

I am feeling like we are overdue for an all-around update, so here it is.

We've been VERY busy in the last 6 weeks since we got set free from Farmers. Greg immediately started working his lawn service full-time, and has done tremendously. He is busy every day, but makes himself take Sundays (or else!!!) and occasionally an afternoon to rest and regroup. He has been receiving calls left and right, and it is really great. It's funny how the combination of circumstances are always a testimony to God's work. If we hadn't transferred to Tyler... If Greg hadn't started mowing yards last summer for a little extra money... If Greg had gotten another job back when he was sorta looking several months ago... the list can literally drag on and on, we would never have had this thing happen at this time in this place. So anyway, all circumstances point us to this one truth: We feel called to do this, and it feels right!

I have also been very busy with my business in the last 6 weeks. Well, honestly I've been crazy busy since January, and have only stepped it up even more. I got my first wholesale order for a small boutique store in Flint, TX, and am working on getting ten outfits made, and working on crib bedding prices for them too. I have two wonderful friends who have offered to host a home show on June 27 to showcase my business to all of my Sunday School and MOPS group. I am hoping to book some additional shows from that (with incentives of course!). I also recently got a new sewing and embroidery combo machine, and yeehaw, it is fancy! I love it SO much. I grabbed it right out of the box and hooked up the embroidery function and did two weeks of embroidering before I ever even tried out the sewing function. Boy howdy, I was missing out! The sewing part can go without a foot pedal, which is a foreign comcept to me! It is all at a push of a button (or, more accurately, an LCD touch screen!). Needless to say, I am having fun while being creative and making money at the same time.. DREAM JOB!

Caleb is becoming more independent lately, and silly, and friendly. He talks nonstop, which is something we thought he might never do! His enunciation of words is really good-- we can understand almost everything he says. There ares till a few sounds he doesn't have, common for the age, like R, but from as quiet as he was, he has come a long way. He loves to run around and jump, and skip, and do any other kind of crazy way of walking. He is learning letters and numbers, and can say them all, and his favorite thing to do in the mornings is watch Sesame Street for the letter and number of the day (today's is S and 1). I try to engage him all day by reminding him what the letter and number of the day are and talk about things with that letter/number. We have been working a little on the letter sounds, and he likes to "spell" words in some of his books. He connects the word with the picture, so this is exciting to me! He is proving to us every day that he is SO much smarter than we ever could imagine, he just likes to keep it to himself (a lot like me at that age I think, and a lot like Greg now!).

Carly is something else... that girl!! She is 16 months old, and in to everything like she should be. She talks a lot (see next post), walks a lot, climbs a lot, eats a lot. Her latest trick is climbing onto Caleb's bed, and into the kitchen chairs. Both activities she gets in trouble for, but still she persists! Her latest words/phrases are "dink dink dink peeeeeeees," gone gone, waffle (fawfaw), frog, "Bubba peepee" (talking about the potty chair), really there are too many to list. And I feel silly typing it all out! Let's just say she can say a lot!

Well my time is up, Caleb is waking up and I've still got sewing to do!


Carly has been talking so much lately! She is such a chatty baby, SO unlike her silent, thinking brother. The two kids may look alike, but they really are polar opposites in personality! Here is a video of Carly doing her thing. She sees the camera and starts saying "Cheeeese" and making a goofy cheese face. Then she talks about animal sounds, and some oher fun words. She says one four-word sentence, "Mommy be right back" I keep trying to capture it on video, but she only says it when I leave the room, so it's hard to get her to say it when I'm sitting there holding the camera. Enjoy our funny baby! (By the way, she is sitting up on Caleb's big bed, where she
climbed up by herself, and she is wearing her brother's old pajamas.. don't be confused!)